The Charlotte Hornets may already be staring at another roster shake-up, and Naz Reid is right in the middle of it.
After a 4-7 start to the 2026-27 regular season and a rough 124-91 loss to the Detroit Pistons, questions around Reid’s future have only grown louder. He was benched for the second half of that defeat after not meeting the standards of head coach Charles Lee, and that decision only added fuel to the idea that his time in Charlotte could be winding down.
That possibility picked up more steam thanks to The Athletic’s Timberwolves insider Jon Krawczynski, who said Reid could be on the move before this year’s deadline. “The Hornets are now clearly in a period of transition, and they decided that LaMelo was not going to be a part of the team that they believe can eventually get to real contender status,” Krawczynski said.
“They made a decision with that core group that they were not good enough as constructed. So, they had to take a step back.
What that also means is that A, the fans are going to be upset because they finally had a fun season last year, and now, it's going sideways again. But B, the possibilities of Naz getting traded again are very high.
“This is a roster that I think is going to change quite a bit over the next couple of years as the Hornets look for the right combination of people to really vault into what they hope is contention. I think you can say that Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are going to be there. Beyond that, who knows?”
For now, Reid is still producing. His 25 points and 13 rebounds powered Charlotte to its fourth win of the season, a 124-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavs on Monday. Grayson Allen added 27 points in the win.
That result came with the Hornets short-handed, too. Brandon Miller was out with a groin injury, while Kon Knueppel will miss at least four weeks after re-injuring his left hamstring. Miller also left Charlotte’s 119-80 loss to the Boston Celtics last Friday because of the groin issue.
In Other News...
Hornets' Slow Start Just Reopened The LaMelo Ball Trade Debate
Charlottes uneven start has already pushed the LaMelo Ball trade back into the conversation, and Bill Simmons used his podcast to frame the deal as something that still needs time to breathe. He and co-host Rob Mahoney looked at where the Hornets stand now, with Brandon Millers role part of the broader picture, and argued that the early read on the move is still far too incomplete to settle into a verdict.
The trade sent Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota in exchange for Naz Reid, multiple future draft picks and a trade exception, but the bigger question is how all of it looks once the season settles in. Charlottes 4-7 record has only sharpened the debate around whether the front office got enough back, and the unresolved piece around Reid keeps the discussion from feeling anywhere close to finished. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller Still Has Face Of The Hornets Pressure To Prove It
Brandon Miller arrived in Charlotte as the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he has already shown why the Hornets were so eager to bet on his scoring. The next step is less about flashes and more about consistency, because Charlotte needs him to become a steadier presence on both ends while continuing to grow into a more complete player.
The Hornets have also been asking for more than shot-making, with Miller expected to sharpen his playmaking as the young roster keeps taking shape around him. Health has been part of the conversation, too, and that only adds to the pressure on a player the franchise wants to see on the floor and carrying more of the load as his role continues to expand. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Return To Phoenix With More At Stake Than Usual
Phoenixs injury report looks far cleaner than Charlottes heading into the next meeting, and that matters for a Hornets team trying to navigate a tricky stretch with bodies still coming and going. Mark Williams is the only Suns player listed out, while Jordan Goodwin has already made his return from injury and was a meaningful factor in the previous game, giving Phoenix a little more stability as the matchup approaches.
Charlotte, meanwhile, arrives with multiple players tagged out or probable, which only adds to the challenge of keeping pace on the road. The game also brings a little extra edge because Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale are set to see Phoenix for the first time since landing in Charlotte, a reminder that this one carries more than the usual regular-season feel for a Hornets group still sorting through its own health concerns. [Read more 🡒]